Natural Resources Training and Education at Dworshak | W912EF182RFP0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for W912EF182RFP0002

The "Natural Resources Training and Education at Dworshak" opportunity is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District funding announcement that would support a cooperative agreement with an organization capable of combining outdoor education and hands-on job training with practical maintenance work on public lands. The core idea is to run a structured training and education experience for young adults while simultaneously accomplishing needed stewardship and upkeep activities at the Dworshak area. Rather than a traditional procurement contract focused only on delivering maintenance services, the emphasis here is on a partnership model where education, workforce development, and public-land maintenance outcomes are pursued together.

The work activities described are typical natural resource and park operations tasks that directly improve and maintain recreation and habitat areas. The announcement highlights duties such as park maintenance, vegetation management, prescribed burning, landscaping, and similar land management services. In practice, this suggests a program where participants learn by doing: they gain exposure to tools, safety procedures, environmental best practices, and field operations while completing real projects that USACE needs done. The inclusion of prescribed burns indicates the training may involve more advanced land management practices, where applicable, and would require careful compliance with safety and environmental requirements.

A central goal of the opportunity is youth development and workforce preparation. USACE is specifically looking for organizations that provide challenging education and job-training experiences that help young adults build practical skills and personal readiness for long-term success. The language points to programs that go beyond short-term volunteer days and instead offer a meaningful pathway: developing work habits, leadership, teamwork, technical competencies in natural resources or land management, and exposure to career possibilities. The description also notes the intention to provide an opportunity for assistance with formal post-high school education, implying that the partnering organization may have a model that connects service and training with educational support or credential-building that helps participants move into college, trade programs, or related professional training.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant-style award using a cooperative agreement instrument. Cooperative agreements are generally used when the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. That typically means USACE may collaborate on planning, prioritizing tasks, setting performance expectations, coordinating site access, and ensuring the work aligns with federal land management standards and mission needs. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the listing references CFDA 12.010, reflecting its placement within Department of Defense assistance programs.

The announcement was issued by the Department of Defense through USACE’s Walla Walla District. It was created on January 19, 2018, with an original closing date of February 23, 2018. The opportunity anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with a stated award ceiling of $24,000, indicating a relatively small project scope or pilot-sized effort intended to fund a defined set of training and maintenance activities over the period of performance.

Eligibility is broadly indicated as "Others," with clarification intended in an additional eligibility information field (not included in the excerpt). In general terms, this implies USACE was open to considering nontraditional applicants beyond standard governmental units, potentially including nonprofits, training corps, educational organizations, or other entities with a proven capacity to run supervised outdoor training programs and complete land stewardship work to required standards. The statutory authority cited for the program is the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, specifically Title 33, Part 2339, Section 213(a), Public Law 106-106-541 (33 U.S.C. 2339), which provides the legal basis for USACE to enter into these kinds of partnerships tied to natural resources, recreation, and related public land purposes.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a targeted partnership: USACE seeks one organization to deliver a supervised, skill-building outdoor education and job training experience for young adults, while accomplishing practical, on-the-ground maintenance and resource management work at Dworshak. The value proposition is twofold: improved stewardship of public lands and a structured development opportunity that helps participants gain employable skills and potentially progress toward further education after high school.

• The Department of Defense, Walla Walla District in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Natural Resources Training and Education at Dworshak" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.010.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 19, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 23, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $24,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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